Finding a penknife

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

When I was repairing my bathroom waste system, (another thread), I dropped my grandfathers little stainless steel double bladed penknife down the cavity which encloses the 110m vertical waste pipe. There is no way to recover it, so I thought I would buy a replacement. Easier said than done, does anyone know a source of these knives?

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

If you mean one of those simple flat handled small knives with a blade at each end then it triggeres a memory of 'where the heck did I lose mine years ago?'
Nothong that simple appears available new now although a search of twin blade pocket knives comes up with bulkier versions usually with 2 blades at the one end.
This Link has a few similar secondhand ones to my memory but not so cheap now: https://www.etsy.com/uk/market/english_pocket_knife

Any chance that the original had some magnetic attraction? Worth trying fishing with a small neodinium?

The current crop of new S/S pocket knives don't hold an edge well in my experience.

pgk

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Try an Antiques shop they used to be called fruit knives and there are still many around if you don’t mind secondhand. Dave W

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

I have seen them, but I can't recall how recently, in pipe and tobacco shops.

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 28/04/2021 15:51:58

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

I have been looking for a "DROVER" pocket knife since my son lost it 15 years ago. Its been a source of friendly banter in the family since then.

[Norfolk BoyParticipant @norfolkboy]

You Won't do better than Heinnie Heinnie Heynes although personally I always buy a locking knife despite the uk legal carry laws I have had a non locker fold on me and too dangerous for me.

UK friendly

You can get some quite stiff non lockers Boker do some for instance, prices from pennies to sky is the limit.

Alan

Edited By Norfolk Boy on 28/04/2021 16:44:59

[Rod RenshawParticipant @rodrenshaw28584]

Antique fruit knives may have silver blades, which may be too soft for anything except cutting fruit. (Carbon steel blades were not resistant to the acid in fruits and stainless was not yet invented.)

Rod

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I don't think I would have any chance of fishing for it but the link to Heinnie Heynes has knives in all price ranges, and I have bookmarked them for further study. The lost knife was over 100 years old, my grandfather gave it to my mother before I was born.

[egaParticipant @ega]

Might the stainless knife nonetheless be magnetic and could it be fished out with a magnet on a string?

Victorinox used to do a knife like the one you describe ie not a "swami".

[Trevor Drabble 1Participant @trevordrabble1]

If you Google "pocket knife manufacturers sheffield" you will find a number of practicing little mesters who may be able to help Some used to work out of Kelham Island Industrial Museum in Sheffield .

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

Unfortunately, there are some nails projecting on the inside which put paid to the magnet on a string approach, the knife is indeed magnetic.

[Sam Longley 1Participant @samlongley1]

I buy the same model Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops knives every so often. I have had quite a few over the years & I buy them from a shop in Ostend. They do a model with a blade just under 4 inches & I have a couple of others with a much smaller blade. I use them for work-moorings, rigging, plus on my boat etc.. I find the steel very good. Cost ( in Ostend) is circa 35 euros. but last one purchased was in 2019

I would recommend them as a single bladed "working" item. I expect that they are available online The handle is aluminium with holes in it & they can be silver or lightly blued colour. very easy to open with the thumb, locking blade, Push button or a lever lock.

I know all about the legality, but if I am on my launch trying to lift a mooring & cut something free in choppy weather trying to open a knife, I cannot fuss around.

[Norfolk BoyParticipant @norfolkboy]

Smith Wesson £8.95 agree about one handed opening without fuss, I also use a knife every day at work for rope nylon straps, opening boxes, needs to be quick to use and fuss free.

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Posted by old mart on 28/04/2021 17:21:26:

Unfortunately, there are some nails projecting on the inside which put paid to the magnet on a string approach, the knife is indeed magnetic.

Depends how much working room you have and how much effort you wish to employ but some semi-rigid tube to sheathe the magnet past nails with perhaps a thin plastic rod down the tube to prod magnet past any nails…?

Also a question of how far down we're talking about – a foot or two and one of those cheap flexible graspers may be worth a go…
You can also get tiny spy cameras cheaply to try and visualise the task…

pgk

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

It’ll most likely be at the bottom. Make an entry there – avoiding anything magnetic above. A small hole and an endoscope might well enable you to locate it. Replacements will not be the same.

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

I have a folding 'Stanley-type' knife in each of my toolboxes/bags **LINK**

Not stylish or beautifully made, but very practical

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Go! had a huge range of knives the last time I was in one of their stores

Some of the prices were eye popping

[Robert Atkinson 2Participant @robertatkinson2]

UK knife law is a bit of a mine field, especially if you add in "going equipped". My "everyday carry" (EDC) is a Leatherman Charge Ti. I've carried a Leatherman for about 25 years, The Charge has two knife blades both under 4" and locking. The blades can be opened one handed. It is illegal to carry this in public in England without a good reason. As I'm no longer working as a "hands on" engineer I'd rather not have to argue the need to carry it in court. So I have cut off the locking tabs for the knife blades. The saw and file blades still lock. I tightened the pivot bolts so the blades are now effectively friction locked. I have unmodified Leathermans to carry when justified and even a TSA approved Micra that I can carry on commercial aircraft.

Rober G8RPi.

[Henry BrownParticipant @henrybrown95529]

I bought a lovely carbon steel bladed British hand made knife a few years ago while in Scotland on holiday, it has Barlow stamped on the handle and Sheffield England on the blade I think that Barlow is the type…

[old martParticipant @oldmart]

I had a look at the bottom with the endoscope through the gap where the rising main goes up alongside the 110 waste. There are too many frame members on the way, the knife wasn't visible from the top either. I am just too arthritic to spend time in awkward positions.

[peak4Participant @peak4]

Posted by old mart on 28/04/2021 20:46:20:

I had a look at the bottom with the endoscope through the gap where the rising main goes up alongside the 110 waste. There are too many frame members on the way, the knife wasn't visible from the top either. I am just too arthritic to spend time in awkward positions.

It might be worth while looking on etsy
https://www.etsy.com/uk/search?q=sheffield+pocket+knife&ref=pagination

My own interest is in Sheffield made knives, so The Famous Sheffield Shop is worth a look; lots of variety at mostly decent priced.
https://www.sheffield-made.com/acatalog/Pocket_Knives-p1.html

See also this website, which is quite disorganised, but has lots of good stuff available when you eventually find it
https://www.sheffield-gb.com/

Obviously in the links I've provided, I've added Sheffield as a search term, which can be removed for further products.

Bill

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Quite a few years ago was in London and on the spur of the moment decided to visit the House of Commons public gallery, there were security checks to get into the building. We had to be vetted by an ordinary policeman who asked us to turn out our pockets, embarrassingly I had in my pocket a penknife, it was an agricultural type working knife that I bought when I was thirteen years old at the Devon County Show. I was quite attached to the knife and it had been everywhere with me always in my pocket. The policeman’s eyes alighted on my trusty knife and he questioned why I was carrying it, after deliberating for a few seconds he said stick it back in your pocket, he summed up the situation and decided that an elderly gent with an ancient penknife was not an obvious terrorist threat so he had used his judgement and we proceeded to enter the House of Commons, I am not sure his superiors would have agreed with his judgement call. Dave W

[Ian ParkinParticipant @ianparkin39383]

late 2019 i was in the audience for the election question time special (with the 4 party leaders)

we had to be there 2 hours before it started and i've never seen so much security to get in

there was airport syle walk through, a wand that was waved over you, a manual frisk.

before this though you had to empty your pockets which i did into a tray including my car keys

only when i was actually in the auditorium did i remember that on my keyring was a folding penknife that no -one had seen

easily if one wanted to you could have lunged at any one of the leaders and planted a 3 inch blade in them..live on tv!!

[IRTParticipant @irt]

 

Although you can buy them for a reasonable price (and for a small fortune too if you want), have you thought of making one? A single bladed folding knife makes an interesting project.

 

Edited By IRT on 29/04/2021 23:03:24

Edited By IRT on 29/04/2021 23:03:41

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